Responses to question 5:
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THE USE OF THE INTERNET ?
| It's important to check the usefulness of sites before using with a group. |
| It often takes a long time to find exactly what you are looking for. |
| Useful, but very time-consuming |
| Material is not always accurate, or easily accessible |
| Pupil exploration is the key point, but it is useful to have a list of key word or locations |
| Searching for sites for project research can be time consuming, and sometimes they find information not suited to their level |
| Need to check out usefulness of particular sites before using with a group |
| Often takes a long time to find exactly what you're looking for |
| Need the time to find worthwhile sites |
| Difficult to access the computers with large groups |
| Mobility of sites: the rate at which they appear / disappear |
| Pupils must have very structured tasks to stop them from printing out reams of rubbish |
| Issue of copyright infringements: plagiarism |
| A great timewaster for some students who cannot sift and discard |
| Can be very slow |
| Can't always book the computer room |
| Pupils have a tendency to cut and paste sections rather than creating their own work |
| A vast resource |
| A key tool for Geographers |
| A comprehensive integrated guide is now necessary - a high profile training session |
| NOF training was 'box ticking': often inappropriate. |
| Potential of ICT far outstrips the time that can be devoted to it for training |
| Don't permit students to hand in Internet printouts as part of their own work: material must be used selectively |
| I question the validity of some of the information |
| Very time consuming for questionable results |
| Hard to ensure that all pupils stay 'on task' |
| Minor problems can cause huge difficulties |
| Machines have to be shared so some pupils are not directly participating |
| An exceptionally flexible resource |
| Requires careful use of credible sites: authenticity of the site is important |
| We often take pupils into the computer room but have to share computers |
| Materials found are often inappropriate |
| Needs to be preloaded onto the school's INTRANET as pupils can waste ages searching otherwise |
| Sites change names / location, so it is always necessary to check before use |
| Caution with the accuracy of some materials |
| Search engines used by a class need to be checked first |
| Often difficult to know what useful sites exist |
| Concerned about accuracy of materials and security |
| Lack of sharp / concise sites that are at an appropriate level: most students like the finding of, but not the reading of.. |
| Training is an issue: limited to date... |
| Access to computer room is a problem. Individual use easier in classroom but is a source of student dispute |
| An excellent resource |
| Filtering isn't always adequate |
| Students should be taught search methods as a priority (as should staff) |
| Have to fight the printout everything and hand it in without reading' syndrome |
| Preferably staff need to try out the tasks they set first, and note the pitfalls without going further. Tends to be a time issue. |
| It seems to me that pupils / staff need very accurate web addresses available to reduce time taken to log on |
| Searches are generally a waste of time |
| Would be useful if a limited number of sites specific to the subject matter could be made available e.g Amazon rainforest when pupils researching material |
| Is used regularly by the department as part of set tasks and topic work e.g Toyota site as part of industrial location work |
| Useful tool for individual project work |
| Some good activities at SLN site |
| My main concern is that students of all ages tend to print pages of information and not select relevant detail as they would from a book |
| We have started using our Geography prefects in Year 10 and 12 to look at websites and make comments. The websites in their new textbooks, and those mentioned in the TES section are being assessed. We are just after a student's view and are not grading the sites. |
| Training is too basic and not subject specific - there is no time for reinforcement |
| No time in school to do any research or typing up of worksheets - have to try and find time in the evenings |
| Prior preparation is essential - can be a pupil extension activity i.e: a search carried out by a pupil who has finished early |
| Found it best to research first and give the students the websites rather than letting them search |
| I see the Internet as a means of allowing students to research topics. Of course they need to keep their critical faculties about them, but this is also true of newspaper and magazine articles. |
| The up to date nature of material on official sites makes this an unsurpassed resource for A level and beyond |
| We have a cybercafe type facility for students to drop in to |
| The selection and quality of data is part of AS Key Skills work |
| One of the main problems is the tendency for younger students, up to Year 9, to not edit material, but download it as if it's their own |
| So much poor information. It needs using with great care and a lot of guidance. |
| Working on developing intranet resources instead. |
| Access to IT facilities is an issue |
| Information overload. It can often be difficult for students to find what they need |
| Main problem is access for full classes due to the slow speed of access. |
| Most sites provide too much information, and it's hard for pupils to focus on relevant information at a suitable level. |
| Excellent for up to date information |
| NOF training a waste of time. Department abandoned the training, but still received a certificate! |
| Timewasting! |
| Download useful pieces onto school's Intranet |
| Often search methods find too much |
| It is very slow at school and gets in the way when we are actually teaching Geography |
| NOF training is dire |
| It needs more time than I have to spare |
| Insufficient equipment to use in class teaching |
| Problems can arise through students obtaining information from the Internet that is incorrect |
| Very limited use in lesson time |
| Very time consuming |
| Better to know CD ROM package to copy / paste |
